Lukashenko reveals the destination/ Where is the leader of the 'Wagner' group

2023-06-27 22:39:34, Kosova & Bota CNA

Lukashenko reveals the destination/ Where is the leader of the

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian mercenary group 'Wagner', has arrived in Belarus after staging a short-lived rebellion last weekend against Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership over the war in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.

It is not clear in which region of Belarus Mr. Prigozhin is, how many fighters are accompanying him and how long he will stay there. Lukashenko, a Putin ally, last Saturday negotiated Prigozhin's departure to Belarus after the Wagner Group chief led thousands of his fighters from Ukraine towards Moscow before breaking off the march about 200 kilometers from the Russian capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised Prigozhin safety in Belarus, and according to Belarusian state media, authoritarian President Lukashenko has asked Putin not to kill Prigozhin.

"I told Putin: we can lose Prigozhin, no problem. If not in the first attempt, then in the second. I told him: don't do it," Lukashenko said during a meeting with security officials, according to state media in Minsk.

Western countries have imposed sanctions on 68-year-old Lukashenko for cracking down on opposition figures and allowing Russia to attack Ukraine last year from Belarusian territory. Most recently, he authorized Russia to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus for possible use in the conflict in Ukraine.

While promising that Prigozhin would be safe in Belarus, Mr Putin has expressed mixed views on the Wagner group since rebelling against his authority and the leadership of the Russian defense ministry. Putin has characterized the leaders of the 'Wagner' group as traitors, but said the mercenaries "really showed courage and heroism" in the fight against Kiev's forces.

Russia's Federal Security Service announced earlier Tuesday that it was closing investigations into armed rebellion charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin and members of his Wagner group.

In a statement released by Russian news agencies, the agency said that those involved in the rebellion had ceased criminal activities.

The dropping of the criminal case against the Russian mercenary group was part of a deal reached late Saturday evening that ended the rebellion. The agreement was brokered by the President of Belarus Lukashenko.

On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the 'Wagner' group was preparing to hand over heavy military equipment to the Russian army.

According to flight tracking portals, a plane on which Mr. Prigozhin is suspected to have traveled landed in Belarus on Tuesday.

Mr. Prigozhin has said that he would go to Belarus, as part of the agreement brokered by Mr. Lukashenko.

Meanwhile, during a speech to members of the military today, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko avoided mentioning the short-lived rebellion that hit Russia at the weekend.

Mr Lukashenko spoke of the threat posed by NATO expansion and what he called an "unprecedented build-up of alliance troops" near Belarus' borders.

" We are clearly seeing a new wave of NATO expansion and an unprecedented accumulation of potential alliance members in the region, as well as near our borders," he said.

Mr. Lukashenko, a close ally of President Putin, has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for 29 years, ruthlessly suppressing dissent and relying on Russian subsidies and political support./ VOA